The first part of the renovation of the Royal Palace's facade in Brussels – started in early March this year – has been completed, allowing the scaffolding on the left side of the palace to be dismantled, revealing the renovated facade.
The full renovation programme will be carried out in several phases, during which all facades (including the rear and side facades) will be tackled, as will the stone balustrades and stairs, the garden walls, the fences and gates.
"We should be proud of our heritage. The Royal Palace, like the Brussels Justice Palace, is a symbol of our country. The restoration of the facades is essential to restore its splendour," said Secretary of State in charge of the Buildings Agency, Mathieu Michel, when the works started earlier this year.
The cleaning and restoration of the garden wall at Place du Trône will start this month, with scaffolding currently being erected. Additionally, the dismantled scaffolding from the first phase of the renovation will be reused and placed on the right side of the palace during the works on that part of the facade.
The Royal Palace before (left) and after (right) the first phase of renovation was completed. Credit: Buildings Agency
The exterior joinery is also being restored or replaced and fitted with thermally insulating glazing, reducing energy consumption by 20%. In total, this involves more than 700 windows and 2,800 m² of joinery.
The works, which started in March 2023, will take about a year and a half to complete and will cost around €6 million.
The Buildings Agency wants to start removing asbestos from the cellars this year and in the summer of 2024 and 2025, it will replace the main heating circuits. Finally, in 2025 it is planned to renew the boiler room and the various substations.
